Poppysmic Produce

Poppysmic is the name for the sound you make when you smack your lips together in appreciation of good food.

Poppysmic Produce grew from small beginnings on a 3.5 acre landholding in Surges Bay. We (Trevor and Linda) quickly realised we’d need to expand and secure reliable water. $10,000 later we had a bore, solar pump and tank, and many more dollars, an irrigation system, and $7000 later a glasshouse, and gosh knows how much later, almost-always-animal-proof fencing and $4500 later a delivery vehicle. Somehow it was never going to be as easy as scraping up a bit of dirt and poking a seed in and watering it with a flowered watering can. It’s been a big learning curve and a lot of sore muscles scaling up from a home garden – but ultimately satisfying.

We like pushing boundaries. We attempted to go 6 months without spending a dollar on food, power, water, transport or consumable goods in 2005. That was in QLD. Within days of completing the experiment (we spent $300) we made the next radical decision – let’s move to Tasmania for the next big adventure!

We arrived 6 months later to build a straw bale house and to join the Huon community. It has been the best decision of our lives.

Apart from growing lots of fruit and vegetables, having a few dairy goats, hives, sheep, ducks and chooks we diversified the business with Seed Freaks (one of us is addicted to open-pollinated seeds and see’s tomato red whenever in their vicinity) and we’re working towards 100% Huon grown and climate adapted varieties.

We also make goat’s milk soap and support organic agriculture in developing countries packing and selling seeds and spices that can’t be grown in the valley. Great stuff to cook veggies with.

We love being part of the Huon Producers’ Network. They’re a vibrant, passionate, chaotic mob of gorgeous people prepared to contribute towards the mutual goal of growing food and community, creating a food bowl and putting lots of food into the populations. We’re keen to support a strong, diverse economic base.